Latch for closet doors



March 31, 1959 P. A. s. FORSLIND 2,880,028

LATCH FOR CLOSET DOORS Filed Oct. 22, 1956 INVENTOR .Zzul/ifii'bnsla'rzd,

' A ORNEYZE 2,880,028 aviPatentetl .M'ar. '31,

LATCH FOR CLOSET DOORS Paul Artur Sigurd Forslind, Vastervik, Sweden Application October 22, 1956, Serial No. 617,459 2 Claims. (Cl. 292-426) This invention relates to an improvement in snap latches for closet doors and particularly for kitchen-closet doors, and has for its main object to provide a latch which will prevent such doors being opened by children. The mechanism can be combined with snap latches of the type in which a curved handle member pivoted to a metal plate is adapted to withdraw a hook from the locking position through oscillation. The main feature of the invention is that the free end portion of the curved handle member is provided with a recess, which in the locking position of the latch, hereinafter called the locking position, is located inside of the metal plate secured to the closet door, and that a bar pivoted to the inside of the metal plate and spring-loaded in one pivoting direction is adapted to enter the recess in the free end portion of the handle member and to disengage it again through the actuation of a manually controlled button protruding through the metal plate, so that the curved handle member can be swung out to release the locking of the book.

A snap latch provided with the device according to the invention is described in the following text, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a front view of the latch Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section along the line II in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows the latch as viewed from the closet side,

Fig. 4 is a section along line II-II in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 shows a modification of the latch as viewed from the closet side, and

Fig. 6 is a front view of the same latch.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 represents a plate of metal, preferably stainless steel. This plate has an aperture 2 receiving one shank of a curved handle member 3, which is swingably mounted on an axle 5 fastened in inwardly protruding lugs 4. The free end 8 of the handle member 3 is provided with a recess 6 as illustrated in Fig. 4. The handle member 3 is combined in known manner with a locking hook 7, which is pivotally mounted on the axle 5 and urged towards locking position by a spring (not shown in the drawing) provided in the bandle member 3. The free end 8 of the handle member is adapted to penetrate an opening 9 in the plate 1 when the latch is in locking position, so that the recess 6 will be located inside of this plate. An arm 10, which is pivoted to the rear side of the plate 1 at 11, can be actuated from the front side of the plate by means of a button 12 that is connected to the arm and passes through an opening in the plate. The free end of the arm is adapted to engage with the recess 6 in the handle member 3 to hold this in the locking position. 13 is a wire spring one shank of which is adapted to rest against a lug 14 on the arm 10, while its other shank can be adapted either to rest against one of the lugs 4 or to be hooked over the edge of the aperture 2 in the plate 1. The spring 13 which is coiled around the head of the pivot 11 serves to urge the arm 10 into the recess 6 in the end portion 8 of the handle member 3. The opening in the plate 1 receiving the button 12 is formed larger than the shank of the button so as to allow a lateral displacement of the button.

When closing a closet door provided with the snap latch described above, the spring-loaded lock hook 7 engages automatically with a keeper provided in the door frame and holds the door shut. During this process, the curved handle member 3 remains in its position without moving. To open the door, the button 12 is displaced sideways, that is, laterally, with one finger to disengage the arm 10 from the recess 6 in the curved handle member 3, while with other fingers the handle member is moved outwards to withdraw the hook 7 from its locking position. The spring that is combined with the handle member and the hook 7 is adapted to press the handle member with its free end towards the plate 1. The free end portion 8 of the handle member is so shaped that it will be locked automatically by the spring-loaded arm 10 when entering through the opening 9 in the plate.

The arm 10 described above and illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 consists of a flat bar, to which a button 12 accessible from the front side of the plate 1 is fastened. In this embodiment of the arm 10 the button 12 is placed under the are formed by the handle, and approximately on a line with the plane of movement of the handle memben. Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of the locking means 10, in which the button 12 is located to one side of the curved handle member 3. In this position, the button is easier to actuate with the thumb of the right hand when the lock should be re leased. In this case, the fiat bar 10 is replaced by a triangular or substantially triangular plate 10' of sheet material, one corner of which is provided with a hole for the pivot 11, one corner with the button 12 and one corner is adapted to engage with the recess 6 in the free end portion 8 of the handle member.

It should be understood that the invention is not confined to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawing, as the details can be modified in several ways without exceeding the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In the mechanism of snap latches of the type having a lock hook, a curved handle member, a metal plate to which said handle member is pivoted and with respect to which said handle member swings to release the lock hook from the locking position, the free end portion of said handle member having a recess, said metal plate having an opening, the portion of said handle member having said recess passing through said opening in said metal plate when said handle member is in locking position, said recess on said handle member being located on the same side of the said metal plate as the pivot for the said handle member, a manually operable button located on said metal plate on the side opposite to the side on which said handle member is pivoted, a bar pivoted to the same side of the metal plate that the said handle member is pivoted to, a spring biasing said bar in one pivoting direction, said bar being located to engage in said recess in said handle member to hold said handle member in locking position, said bar being disengageable from said handle member by operation of said manually operable button to release said handle member from its locking position, and means connecting said button to said bar, said means protruding through a slot in said metal plate.

2. Mechanism as claimed in claim 1, and in which said bar consists of a triangular plate of metal, one corner of said triangular plate being provided with a hole or a pivot around which said plate can swing, another corner having said button for swinging said bar, and the third corner engaging with said recess in the free end portion of said curved handle member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Sweden July 13, 

